Saturday, August 28, 2010

Some Girls Bite: Chicagoland Vampires #1 Review


Some Girls Bite: Chicagoland Vampires #1
Chloe Neill
ISBN 0575094044(978-057-509404-8)
RRP $22.99 April 2010
Gollancz Paperback (198 x 129)

I was doing fine until Chicago's vampires announced their existence to the world - and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker...one who decided the best way to save my life was to take it. Turns out my saviour was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I've traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan 'Lord o' the Manor' Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four hundred year old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he also seems to expect my eternal gratitude - and servitude... But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I'm surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone's out to get me... My initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war - and there's going to be blood.

http://www.hachette.com.au/books/9780575094048.html

Chloe Neill
Chloe Neill was born in the south of the USA and currently resides in the US Midwest. SOME GIRLS BITE is her debut novel and the first in the Chicagoland Vampires series. Previous titles: Some Girls Bite (Bfmt May 2010)

Review

Some Girls Bite is the debut novel for Chloe Neill, and a ripper of a read in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre. Neill has spent the groundwork for an interesting new world in the flooded market of vampire novels, no mean feat with the huge range of vamp books around these days. As far as heroines go, Merit is very well-flushed out. She's intelligent, down-to-earth, emotionally and physically strong, as well as driven. Unlike too many MC’s who befall similar circumstances in other novels, she realistically struggles with her new vampiric lifestyle without wasting too much time moaning about it. Instead she faces the decision that she must make between braving it alone or joining with her new vamp brothers and sisters by learning as much as she can and making the most of her new abilities. Merit isn't the only draw, however. The plot is very nicely paced and well thought out. Neill has obvious put a lot of effort into world-building and the pacing of the story over the next few novels.

The setting is against the backdrop of Chicago, with many familiar locations, such as Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, Wrigley Field and Michigan Avenue. If you’ve ever visited this city, then you’ll be quite at home with the regular references, if not, you’ll probably want to visit it as Neill’s descriptions are quite vivid.

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